Thursday, August 25, 2005

GHOST RIDER MOVIE UPDATE

It might not be too long before fans get their first glimpse of the Ghost Rider from the upcoming film.

At last month's Ghost Rider panel at Comic-Con International, writer/director Mark Steven Johnson presented a clip without the actual Ghost Rider, simply because principal photography had only recently ended and special effects to create the character weren't complete.

Since that time, the Spirit of Vengeance has begun to take shape, producer Gary Foster told The Continuum.

"We have seen the first iteration on Ghosty himself and the result was very exciting," Foster told The Continuum. "SPI (Sony Pictures Imageworks) and Kevin Mack are doing a great job."

Foster said that post-production on Ghost Rider is "going great."

"Mark is hard at work on his cut," he said. "We are expecting to see something in the next weeks."

Foster said that the filmmakers have yet to decide on a composer to score Ghost Rider.

The film -- starring Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Wes Bentley, Peter Fonda and Sam Elliott -- is targeted to be in theaters next summer.

"All in all, we are on schedule and feeling very good about how all aspects of the film are progressing," Foster said.

Look for more on Ghost Rider soon here in The Continuum.

THE BATMAN UPDATE

Kevin Grevioux, who played Raze in the Underworld movie, is providing the voice of Solomon Grundy in this Saturday's network debut episode of The Batman on Kids' WB!.

Grevioux, who also co-wrote and associate produced Underworld, is a huge comics fan. He previously appeared in comics-based films Men in Black II, Steel, The Mask and Batman Forever.

"Solomon Grundy, a legendary zombie, emerges from a swamp on Halloween to wreak havoc on Gotham. But Batman and Alfred discover that there is more to Grundy than there appears."

Kids' WB! on Wednesday announced that the Saturday, Sept. 3 episode of The Batman will be "Strange Minds."

Here's how the episode is described:

"Joker takes Detective Yin hostage, but once captured, he refuses to tell of her whereabouts. Convinced it's the only way to lear Yin's location before she meets her demise, Batman uses a device created by Professor Hugo Strange to enter the bizarre brain of Joker in search of an answer."

Hugo Strange's voice is done by the late Frank Gorshin, best known as The Riddler from the 1960s Batman television series.

For the complete Kids' WB! schedule for the week of August 29, CLICK HERE.

IMAGE COMICS FIRST LOOKS

For covers and five-page previews of Image Comics titles arriving in stores on Wednesday, CLICK HERE.

NEW BATMAN, SUPERMAN DVD COLLECTIONS

Warner Home Video as announced a Dec. 6 release date for Batman: The Animated Series Vol. 4 and Superman: The Animated Series Vol 2.

Hereıs how Warner Bros. describes the Batman set:

"In the hit show that continues the Batman storyline from the Emmy-winning Batman: The Animated Series, two years have passed and Batman still protects the streets of Gotham City from the demented criminals that inhabit its dark alleys. But irreconcilable differences with Dick Grayson lead to the collapse of the Batman/Robin crimefighting duo and to the birth of Gotham's new hero Nightwing. Batgirl fights at Batman's side, and a new Robin takes flight after Batman's chance encounter with young Tim Drake. In these 24 thrilling episodes, the Gotham Knights face their worst enemies - Joker, Penguin, Mr. Freeze and many more - in a comprehensive 4-disc set that completes the Batman animated saga!"

There will be audio commentary on "Over the Edge", "Critters" and "Legends of the Dark Knight" by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Glen Murakami, James Tucker, Dan Riba and Moderator Jason Hillhouse.

The featurette is Arkham's Finest: Inside Batman's Rogue Gallery.

Hereıs how Warner Bros. describes the Superman set:

"Lex Luthor. Bizarro. Metallo. Karkull. The universe is filled with villains. And only the Man of Steel can keep them from overthrowing Earth in these 18 action-packed episodes from the Emmy-winning series! Filled with dynamic storylines, brilliant animation and complex characters, this collection includes the three-part crossover episode World's Finest, in which The Joker teams with Lex Luthor, forcing Batman and Superman into a reluctant partnership to defeat the crazed clown and maniacal billionaire. Fly high with this exciting two-disc set packed with all the thrilling battles that only Superman could win!"